Tip of the Week
Bug Off
While you're out enjoying the last holiday of summer this Labor Day weekend, make sure you protect yourself against the lingering threat of West Nile Virus carried by pesky mosquitoes.
Repellents that contain DEET can irritate eyes and can cause blisters and rashes on some users. Fortunately, you no longer need to rely on chemical repellants, since natural, plant-based oils work just as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found repellants containing oil of lemon eucalyptus, such as Repel (www.repel.com) are as effective as low-dosage DEET products.
Bite Blocker (www.biteblocker.com), a soybean, coconut and geranium-oil concoction is another option, and quite a few outdoor magazines have given high marks to BugBands, rubber bracelets treated with geraniol, an essential oil derived from a variety of plants including roses, lemons and carrots. The bracelets can be worn on wrists or ankles and used for up to 120 hours ($4.95 each), and the company has also introduced geraniol-treated towelettes ($0.99 each). Since both are single-use disposable items, you can create a little less waste with their 4-oz. spray ($5.89; all available at www.bugband.net).
Way Out Wax's Garden Peace collection, which uses hemp, citronella, lavender and geranium oils to repel mosquitos with 100% soy wax candles in garden-party-suitable 2-lb. tubs ($20) and water-based sprays ($6; www.wayoutwax.com).
--Maureen Ryan
© The Green Guide, 2008
Discuss this blog
posted by hawkmoonsoaps on 2007-08-29 08:04:23
I'd like to add that we have been using and making a great Bug off lotion for years. It's natural ,DEET free and smells great !We even make the bug off soap too. check it out at: http://www.hawkmoonsoaps.com
posted by packrat on 2007-08-30 07:38:05
I gave my daughter a 12-room purple martin house for her cottage, which has a one-acre fishing pond. The clouds of mosquitoes which used to plague us even during the day have disappeared and we can even sit around outside all evening with no bug repellent needed. The birds are fun to watch, too.
posted by recharge on 2007-08-31 14:29:05
I go hiking often with my six-year-old son. Even the natural repellants irritate his skin. After finding a ring around his belly-button one day, I got desperate. I decided to try Buzz-Off Clothing, It has Permethrin, "a man-made form of a natural insect repellent found in the Chrysanthemum" bonded into the fabric. We do not get bitten by any mosquitos, and I haven't found any ticks on us or our clothing. We've been using the clothing for about two years. On our last hike, my husband teased us for using the clothing - he usually uses DEET-based repellants. We had the last laugh when he got bitten on the chin and had a huge, red bite mark for days. We were untouched. You can get Buzz-Off clothing from http://www.exofficio.com where you can also read more about how they make it.
posted by sensintaffar on 2008-05-05 09:50:31
What's with all this anti-Deet nonsense? DEET is one of the safest chemicals on the market and nothing comes close to protecting us better from mosquitoes than gool ol' DEET. While the claim that natural, plant-based repellants are as efficacious as low-dose DEET may be true, they don't last long . . . you must reapply nearly every hour, if not more often to maintain protection. The post above from "recharge" is interesting. DEET vs. Permethrin? It isn't an either/or proposition. They both complement one another. Treat clothing with Permethrin and apply DEET 30-35% to exposed skin surfaces for maximum protection. If you are seeking to avoid an itch for a few days from your average state-side mosquito bite, then go ahead and use the "natural" light-weights. If you are traveling overseas to malaria- and dengue-ridden subtropics or tropics, then don't fool around with citronella and other "natural" repellants. Protect yourself maximally with DEET and Permethrin.
A concerned travel medicine doc.
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